


with you, i'm home.

by yukioapologist



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-07-27 11:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20045515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukioapologist/pseuds/yukioapologist
Summary: Shima Renzou's family had made his home life hell for him - he didn't know what it was like to look forward to coming back, to feel safe in the comfort of your own bed. He doesn't know it could ever be considered a safe place. Until Okumura Yukio comes along.





	1. Chapter 1

Renzou can't help how anxious he feels when he finishes unpacking his bags. His posters are already hanging on his wall, along with the few photos he'd decided to take with him - mostly of Jun and her kids - and now his belongings are tucked away where they belong. He really didn't have much to begin with; he'd left non-essentials with Yaozou to give his family the wrong idea that he'd be returning to Kyoto after graduation.

He wouldn't be. That had been decided a long time ago, when he was a frightened fifteen year old, forcing himself into the role of a spy to have an excuse to escape his family.

He's pulled from his thoughts when he hears a loud bang, followed by his roommate's cries. "Ouch! Shit."

Seconds later, Yukio appears in his doorway, holding his ring finger to his mouth. "Do you mind helping me with something?" he asks, and the familiarity that he asks it with makes Renzou feel more at ease. They might be free from the Dominus Liminis now, but their relationship was still the same.

"Sure. What is it?" Renzou responds, following Yukio out into the hallway. "Wait, hold on, let me see that," he says, pulling Yukio's finger from his mouth and examining it. It's bleeding and red, and he's certain the little skid marks that run along his finger mean Yukio had pulled it out rather than lifting the thing again to make it less painful. "How bad is it?"

Yukio laughs and takes his hand back. "You asked to see it, yet you don't even know what you're talking about," he teases.

"Idiot. That's not what I meant," Renzou snaps, taking Yukio's hand again. "I meant how bad it hurts. Besides, if it was serious, I'd doubt you'd be here talking to me, instead of treating it. That is one of your meisters, isn't it? Doctor Okumura."

"Doctor is a stretch. I've been stripped of my meisters, remember?" Yukio replies, and the happiness on his face is replaced with sadness now. "It stings, but it's not serious. I dropped my TV stand on it - that's why I need your help. Can't lift it myself, evidently."

Renzou feels guilty for making Yukio sad. Though both of them had been pardoned for selling out the Illuminati to the Order, Yukio's punishment was a lot worse than his. _He_ could still become an exorcist, but Yukio had been stripped of his rank and the meisters he'd worked so hard to earn. Renzou thought it was unfair, but when had the Order ever been fair?

"You sure it's not broken? It looks pretty gross, you know," Renzou says as he walks past Yukio and gets ready to lift one end of the entertainment stand.

"Gross doesn't equal broken," Yukio tells him. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll double check at the nurse's office tomorrow."

"Okay. It's up to you, though. Don't feel obligated; I trust your opinion. You trained for this, not me," Renzou replies with a smile. "Okay, where do you want this thing?"

"The foot of the bed," he says, and he counts down to three before the two of them lift it. It's considerably easy with both boys doing the lifting, but the strain that the weight puts on Yukio's hand makes him hiss when they put it down. "It's bleeding again."

"And it hurts," Renzou adds, stating the obvious. "Come with me."

Yukio does, but he mutters something about it "not being serious," but he lets Renzou clean the scrape and wrap it in a bandage before putting a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a dish towel over it.

Renzou sneaks a peek at Yukio, and sees the hint of a smile on his face. "Your finger must be killing you, how can you smile?" he asks, his tone teasing.

"Oh, it's just... this reminds me of my brother," Yukio says warmly, surprising Renzou with the softness of it. His smile widens. "When we were growing up, I always had to do this for him."

"Oh yeah?" Renzou responds as he pulls his hand away from Yukio and lets the other boy hold the pea bag himself. "It must be nice to have someone take care of you for a change, huh?"

He's afraid that maybe he said the wrong thing when the smile disappears from Yukio's face, but then it's replaced by a pink blush and an even more tender smile.

"Yeah. It is." he admits shyly.

And it's so unlike Yukio that Renzou feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest, because, _damn_, who knew that Okumura could be so soft?

-

A week later, when they're all settled in and done preparing for classes - which, really, Renzou only did because Yukio forced him to - they sit on the couch with a bowl of buttery popcorn between them, and an uninteresting horror film playing on the TV.

"I don't know who comes up with these, but they're terrible," Renzou says lazily before he shovels a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Yukio chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't know why you like watching these," he replies. "Doesn't it take away the enjoyment to see the _actual_ demons and ghosts in the background?"

"No, are you kidding me?" Renzou gives him an incredulous look. "That's the best part!"

Yukio cocks an eyebrow at that. "If you say so," he says. "Stop eating all the popcorn, you idiot. Save some for me."

Renzou is about to argue because it's his popcorn, but his response is cut off by a loud knock at the door. Yukio goes to answer it, disappearing around the corner and out of view. Renzou takes the opportunity to shovel down more of the theater snack.

"Oh. Shima-san," Yukio says from the doorway, and Renzou nearly chokes on the food in his mouth when he hears it. "What can I do for you?"

"Is my son here?"

Renzou bolts up from the couch when he hears that and prays Yukio doesn't say yes. He doesn't want to see Yaozou, especially not here.

"My apologies for whoever gave you that idea, Shima-san, but Renzou doesn't live here," Yukio replies breezily, and Renzou feels grateful for the lie. "Perhaps Suguro could help you find him?"

Renzou listens to them argue back and forth - Yukio more calm and patient than Yaozou - before his father leaves, and he realizes that he's going to have to lie to his family and say that he gave them the wrong address. He's not sure if Bon and Koneko would cover for him, though.

He doesn't realize he's shaking until Yukio comes back and asks if he's okay.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he responds, though even to his ears, he sounds pathetic. "Why?"

"You're shaking, Renzou." Yukio says by way of explanation. "Are you... are you really still that afraid of your father?"

Renzou just nods, because he doesn't trust himself to say as much without crying. But, shit, he already is, he realizes when Yukio wipes his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm sorry," Renzou tells him apologetically. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

Yukio rolls his eyes at that and pulls Renzou down to the couch with him. "You didn't. He did," he says. "It's not my thing, but I know it's yours so..." Yukio trails off and has to turn away to hide how red his face is. "Would it comfort you if we... cuddled and finished the movie together?"

"You're full of surprises today," Renzou mumbles as he crawls over to Yukio's side of the couch.

"What does that mean?" He doesn't have to look to know that Yukio is giving him a scary side eye.

"Nothing," Renzou shrugs. "I don't mean it as a bad thing. I like it, actually."

He instinctively ducks, throwing himself across Yukio's lap while Yukio's good hand swings at where his head used to be resting.

_Our relationship is still the same_, Renzou thinks with a smile.

He refuses to get up when Yukio tells him to, deciding to just stay sprawled across Yukio's lower stomach and thighs.

"No. It's more comfortable here," he says with a cheeky smile.

He's surprised when Yukio rests his hand in his hair, but he relaxes into the touch. It's oddly comforting. It's a foreign feeling for him, but he loves it.

The feeling of Yukio's hand in his hair, and the calming breaths in his ear, are enough to lull Renzou to sleep. He doesn't even wake up when Yukio carries him down the hall to his bed - or when Yukio accidentally bangs his head on the doorway.


	2. Coffee Date

Renzou didn't think Yukio was serious when he said he'd have his finger checked out for him, but he's pleasantly surprised when he accompanies Yukio to the nurse's office the next morning. "I still think that looks disgusting," he says after the nurse tells Yukio his finger isn't broken. "Somehow it looks worse now that the blood is dry."

"You sound too interested to think it's truly disgusting," Yukio tells him with a playful smile. Renzou still thinks it's unusual, but it looks nice on the raven-haired boy.

"I can find something interesting and disgusting at the same time," Renzou replies with a shrug. "It's not hard. Like, I can find Okumura and Shiemi-san's casual affection disgusting and endearing at the same time."

Yukio laughs at that. "I mean, at least they limit it to hand holding and hugs," he offers.

"You have a point," Renzou says, leaning forward, "but they love each other so much that it's disgusting to look at."

Yukio smiles. "Are you going to say that when you finally find a girl willing to date you, Renzou?" he asks, and while he's smiling, Renzou feels like there's something off in Yukio's voice. He knows from two years of being around him nearly every day how to detect even the slightest changes in Yukio.

"Who says I want a girlfriend?" Renzou replies, and when the nurse walks away from Yukio to find fresh bandages, he leans in and whispers. "Maybe it's a boyfriend I want."

Yukio turns red at that and clears his throat. "Oh. I... that's..."

Renzou pulls himself away when the nurse tells him he needs to move. The look on Yukio's face is amusing to watch, and he can see how flustered he is. "Do you want to come with me to get some coffee when you're done here?"

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Yukio asks with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a recent thing. I had to take it up because you insist on me waking up early and staying up late to study with you."

"You weren't studying at all before I forced you to. You'll be thanking me when you get your grades back."

"I'm already thanking you," Renzou says.

"You're good to go," the nurse tells Yukio. "Keep it clean and come back if it looks infected."

Yukio nods and gives her a grateful smile. "Thank you," he tells her. He turns to Renzou. "I think I'll take you up on that coffee."

-

Renzou knows coffee isn't everyone's thing. The first time he tried it, he hated it. But when Yukio spits out his coffee and chokes on the little of it that he had swallowed, he can't hold in his laughter. It really isn't that funny, but the lack of sleep over the past week has been making everything funnier than it actually is.

"Shut up. It wasn't funny," Yukio hisses at him, his face red. He sinks into his chair when he notices the other customers staring at them. "People are staring."

Renzou tries to calm down, but he laughs even harder as a result. "I'm sorry," he says, his words coming out louder than intended. "I know it's not funny."

"It's really not," Yukio rolls his eyes. He downs the coffee in almost one gulp, just to give himself something to do.

'You know," Renzou says through deep breaths, "you sound annoyed, but you're smiling."

Yukio turns red and looks away. He mumbles something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said you're pretty when you laugh."

That sobers Renzou up immediately, and now it's _his_ turn to blush. When had this become their relationship's dynamic?

"Thank you, Yukio," he says with an embarrassed smile. "Um - how... was your coffee?"

"Terrible. I don't know how you can drink it."

Renzou laughs and sips his own coffee - which is actually iced with caramel, less bitter than the hot coffee Yukio ordered. "Here, try this," he says, pushing it over to him. "I promise, it's better than what you were drinking."

Yukio gives him a skeptical look, but he drinks anyway. His eyes widen and he takes another sip. "You're right," he agrees. "I almost don't want to give this back."

Renzou chuckles. "Well, it's a large cup. We can share it," he offers. "If not, I can order another one."

"You sure you wanna share?"

"I don't mind." Renzou says as he takes his own sip. "By the way, I talked to Bon this morning. Before you woke up."

"Oh? What did he say, if you don't mind me asking?"

Renzou shrugs and pushes the iced coffee away. "It was about last night," he replies, suddenly feeling irritated. "My father went to his dorm after he came by. And Bon was mad that I wanted him to cover for me - so he didn't. And he said that we should expect more angry Yaozou visits because Bon told him that you lied about me not living with you."

Yukio sighs, and makes an 'O' with his mouth. "That's gonna be a problem, isn't it?" He reaches across the table for Renzou's hand. "Will you be okay?"

Renzou nods, though he doubts that. "I hope so. I want to be."

"If you want to hold off on going home, do you want to come with me to see Homare?" Yukio asks. "After my classes are over, I'm meeting her for dinner."

Renzou nods and smiles. "That sounds awesome," he says. "I miss her."


	3. Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is something i really wanted to write tbh. homare being something of a mother to the boys is a headcanon i've always had, so this is a bit self-indulgent but it DOES play a part in something i have planned for this fic.

"Are you sure she's not mad at me?" Renzou asks Yukio, for what feels like the fifth time. It was all he could think about - and talk about - on their short walk from the Academy to their shared apartment. Sure, Homare and Yukio had always been closer; they were both victims of Toudou's manipulation and forced into the Illuminati because of him, but what other explanation could there be for her to ask to see Yukio, and not Renzou?

"I promise she's not mad at you," Yukio assures him, and it genuinely surprises Renzou that Yukio doesn't sound impatient or annoyed because of how many times he's had to answer the same differently phrased question. "If she was, she probably would've asked me to come to her rather than coming here. She knows we live together, you know. It's more likely that she just assumed you'd be free for dinner at home than it is that she's angry."

Renzou does feel reassured by that answer, but when Homare is actually knocking on their door and Yukio is letting her in, his anxiety spikes up again and he can't calm himself down. He paces around in his room and keeps running his hands through his black hair, just to keep his hands occupied. He considers locking himself in his room for the rest of the night, but just as he's going to lock his door, it opens and nearly hits him.

"Are you okay?" Yukio asks him as he lets himself in, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Door didn't even hit me," Renzou says, finding it easier to pretend he misinterpreted the question than to talk to Yukio about anxieties Yukio had already tried to help him smooth over.

"Don't do that," Yukio sighs, reaching out to fix Renzou's hair. "I know you're anxious about seeing her again. It's been a long time and she's terrible at keeping in touch, but she's not mad at you. If it makes you feel any better, I asked. She cares about you, Renzou - just as much as she cares about me."

Renzou is pleasantly surprised at how soothing physical contact from Yukio is. The feeling of Yukio's hands running through his hair and smoothing down what he'd made stick up is enough for his nerves to calm a little. "I'm okay now," he tells Yukio honestly. "Almost, anyway."

"Are you ready to come sit out there with us while we wait for the takeout to get here?"

When Renzou nods, Yukio takes his hand and leads him out into the hallway; it makes Renzou wonder if he'd picked up on how calming he is for Renzou.

Homare raises an eyebrow when she notices that their hands are still entwined, even as they sit down on the couch across from her. "You didn't tell me you were dating," she says to Yukio.

"I didn't say because there's nothing to tell," Yukio responds calmly, tightening his grip on Renzou's hand. "We're not dating. It's - it's platonic."

Renzou offers Homare a nervous smile. "I was trying to calm my anxiety," he explains to her. "I get clingy when I'm anxious."

"Oh. I didn't realize you had anxiety," she replies, and he's startled by how caring her tone of voice sounds. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I cope with it okay," he tells her. He takes his hand out of Yukio's, but presses his knee against the other's to keep some form of contact. "How have you been?"

Homare talks to them about the things she's been doing; about her new job as a junior high teacher - which she says she'd gotten qualified for before her father forced her to join the Illuminati, and her new girlfriend. She mentions that the two have been talking about adopting a child together, which gets a reaction out of Renzou.

"That's so exciting!" he says, leaning forward. "Two of my older siblings have kids, and - "

Yukio is content to just listen to Renzou talk about his nieces and nephew; his eyes light up, his hand movements get more animated, and his knee bumps against Yukio's every time he launches into a story about something Ten and Kensuke did. Occasionally he interrupts with a question about one of the kids, but for the most part, he fondly listens to Renzou talk. With how lively he is, and how much he's moving around, Yukio has a feeling Renzou won't be able to stay up late to study tonight.

After Renzou finishes what must be his tenth story, he kind of deflates. The change is so fast that it startles both Homare and Yukio.

"Are you okay?" Homare asks worriedly, putting her mug of coffee down to kneel in front of Renzou. It's such a mom-like thing, the way she's looking at him, that it makes Yukio feel like he's intruding on a private moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Renzou nods. He lets himself lean into Yukio's touch on his back, focusing on the warmth of it.

He welcomes the distraction when he hears knocking on the door; he tries to get up to answer it, but Yukio pushes him back into his seat, saying something about Yaozou before he disappears around the corner.

"Are you having issues with your father again?" Homare asks him gently, taking Yukio's place by Renzou's side. "Is that what this is about?"

"He came by last night and Yukio told him I don't live here, so he's mad at us," he explains flatly with a shrug. "So I'm not allowed to open the door anymore, I guess."

Whatever Homare's response is, is cut off by Yukio returning with two brown bags of takeout; yakisoba for Renzou, katsu don for Homare, and takoyaki for Yukio. Renzou's stomach growls noisily when Yukio opens the takeout containers, causing Homare to chuckle and lightening the atmosphere of the room once more.

When they're done eating, and Yukio is in the kitchen washing the containers to reuse, Homare turns to Renzou. The expression she wears is more serious than usual, and it unsettles Renzou and makes him wonder if maybe she is mad at him.

"Is something the matter?" he asks her, hiding the anxiety in his voice. "Did I do something wrong?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "No, nothing's the matter and you didn't do anything wrong," she tells him. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, actually. I came here to ask Okumura what he thought of it first, but you joined us so... now's a good a time as any."

"Okay...?" he responds nervously, wishing she'd come out with it already.

"I know that you're pretty much an adult now, and you're on your own, but I've been thinking about it," she continues, beginning to fidget with her hands, which only makes him feel more anxious. "I want to adopt you, Renzou. If that's okay with you."

Renzou chokes on his spit, hacking and coughing until his throat clears. "Can you repeat that?" he asks, his voice hoarse. "I want to make sure I didn't mishear you."

"I said that I want to adopt you," Homare repeats, louder and more clearly this time. "Officially or unofficially, it's your choice. You don't even have to say yes."

Renzou tries to respond, but what comes out is a choked sob, and Homare worries that maybe she said the wrong thing; of course she'd had to consider whether or not Renzou even wanted this, but she didn't anticipate this kind of reaction.

Yukio appears in the doorway, wiping his hands off on a dish towel. "Is everything okay?" he asks, worry evident all over his face. "Renzou, why are you crying?"

When Homare turns her attention back to Renzou, he's smiling. He's _happy_.

"Homare's going to adopt me," he says simply before he pulls her into a tight embrace.


	4. Confrontation

Renzou and Yukio's new routine was easy. Every morning, they went to the cafe near their apartment as soon as it opened, studying there until one of them had to leave for class, and meeting there again for lunch - they said to "study some more," but studying was never actually done on their break. Yukio wasn't complaining, though; he enjoyed eating there with Renzou. Not that he'd ever admit that to the former spy. It'd go straight to his head.

The consistency of it all made him feel safe, and Renzou's joy whenever he got to spend time with Yukio, no matter what the two were doing - even if that was nothing at all, made him feel wanted. He knew he was - he knew his siblings and their friends loved him and wanted him around, but it felt different with Renzou.

Another thing he wouldn't tell his friend.

"Hey, Yukio!" Renzou all but shouts in his ear, startling Yukio out of his thoughts. He snickers when he watches the taller boy rush for napkins to wipe up the spilled iced coffee. "You didn't hear me come in?"

Yukio scowls at the shit-eating grin on Renzou's face. "No. I didn't," he replies, his tone holding none of the anger that his face does. "You're late."

"I had to stay behind to talk to one of my teachers. Discuss grades, that kinda stuff," Renzou responds, sitting down across from him. He waves over a barista to ask for more napkins. "Do you want me to order you another coffee?"

Yukio raises an eyebrow, but nods. "Grades? Good or bad?" he asks.

"Both," Renzou says with a cheeky smile. "Shiratori-sensei thought I was cheating. Said it didn't make sense that someone like me could start getting good grades after two years of half-assing it. You might be getting a call from him to confirm that I have actually been studying, by the way."

Yukio laughs and shakes his head. "I mean, if you think about it, it is suspicious - don't look at me like that, you know it's true."

"Doesn't mean you should say it!" Renzou cries, but whatever theatrics he was thinking of pulling are interrupted by the employee's appearance; Yukio's glad he waited for Renzou to order anything else, because that made it easier for her to properly clean his mess.

Yukio gives her a sheepish smile and apologizes for dumping it. He knew it was an inconvenience, even if it was her job. She tells him it's okay before she asks if he wants another one - he agrees. Renzou tells her wants one of the same drinks as well as two pre-packaged bento boxes.

"Two? You're that hungry?"

"Of course not - one of them is for you," Renzou tells him with an eye roll, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not letting you get fries and a burger again today. You eat that too often for it to be healthy/"

Yukio rolls his eyes. "You sound like Rin. Did he hand Dad privileges over to you?"

"No, I'm just not an idiot." Renzou retorts before he gets up to get their order from the counter. "_And_ I care about your health."

Yukio feels warm when he hears Renzou say the last bit, but it quickly goes away when he processes the first thing. "Did you just call me an idiot?" he demands.

Renzou just throws a smirk over his shoulder and doesn't answer his question.

Yukio decides to let it go when Renzou returns with two iced coffees and two bentos.

\---

"Are we making a habit of watching low-budgeted horror movies on weekends now?" Yukio asks when he and Renzou are entangled on the couch, watching some boring - in Yukio's opinion, at least - American movie. He almost wants to take his glasses off and ignore the subtitles, but that wouldn't help with his decent understanding of the English language.

Renzou looks up at him and shrugs. "You're telling me you _don't_ enjoy cuddling on Saturday nights and watching movies so ridiculous they're funny?" he replies.

Yukio blushes, "I just think the cuddling can happen without boring ourselves," he says.

Renzou rolls on his side so he can look at Yukio without straining his neck. The smile on his face makes Yukio's heart leap. "You want to cuddle with me?" he questions, clearly happy to hear that.

"Sh-shut up," Yukio replies. "I-if I didn't, I wouldn't agree every time," he adds, more quietly. Part of him hoped Renzou didn't hear, but he knew that would be unlikely given how close they were.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed. I can see why girls go crazy for you," Renzou says, rolling back to face the TV before Yukio can respond.

Yukio's about to reply that the movies Renzou picks aren't that funny, when a loud knock startles both of them. Yukio accidentally knocks Renzou off of their small couch. He gives the older boy an apologetic smile before he helps him up. "I'll get it," he tells him, pausing the movie before he rounds the corner to answer the door. He's not sure who he was expecting, but Yaozou was the last person he expected to be knocking on his door at eight o'clock on a Saturday night. Really, he _should_ have been expecting him, he's not sure why he wasn't.

"Shima-san," he says coldly - and loudly. It's a warning to Renzou not to leave the living room, but clearly it's one he doesn't heed, because he ducks under Yukio's arm and into view of his father. Yukio makes an odd noise in his throat. "Renzou," he whispers quietly.

"What do you want, Dad?" Renzou asks, his voice bitter. It's not something that suits the boy, and Yukio hopes he doesn't have to hear it ever again after tonight. "I thought we'd made it clear that you're not welcome here." The shake in his voice tells Yukio he's more nervous to be saying this than he lets on.

"I'm hurt, Renzou! No love for your father anymore?" Yaozou pouts, and it's only that Renzou is standing in the doorway that keeps Yukio from slamming the door in his face.

"I haven't had love for you since I was a little kid," Renzou replies icily. "You know, when I realized you weren't going to change."

Yaozou bites his tongue when Yukio straightens his back so he's standing at his full height, clearly knowing when to push and when to knock it off. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that," he says through gritted teeth, giving Yukio the most hateful stare over his son's shoulder. "Mind if I come in?"

"He just said you're not welcome here. What the fuck do you think?" Yukio snaps, letting out a bit of his barely contained anger.

Yaozou fixes his gaze on Renzou. "I see you've adopted your own little guard dog," he says. He reaches into his coat pocket and brings out a large envelope and hands it over to Renzou. "Some woman named Homare mailed your mother and I adoption papers. Left a note saying it's what you wanted. Is that true?"

Renzou nods hesitantly. "It is."

An unrecognizable emotion flickers in Yaozou's eye, but it's gone as soon as Yukio notices it. "I signed them. And another relinquishing my and your mother's parental rights over you. You're almost an adult anyway - and you have no desire to live the life I want for you. It's useless to keep you around. I'll let you be someone else's problem now."

Yukio glares at Yaozou, pulling Renzou behind him before he pushes the Shima patriarch into the hallway of the apartment building's floor. "Call him useless again. You'll wish you'd stayed in Kyoto," he growls into his ear, too low for Renzou to hear.

He turns back into the apartment and slams the door in his face before Yaozou can reply.

"Come on," he tells Renzou softly, guiding him back over to the couch. "Let's finish the movie."

Renzou agrees, grateful Yukio doesn't mention anything about Yaozou. Grateful that Yukio lets him be the little spoon again - and that the taller boy keeps periodically squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

It doesn't take him long to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't proofread this yet, because i wanted to publish it before i let myself overthink it the way i have been lately. hope you enjoyed this if you're still reading!!


End file.
